On Friday, the Greene County School District celebrated the beginning of the new school year with a Welcome Back Staff event at the high school.

Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teachers were treated to a breakfast prepared by the Ram Restaurant, followed by time spent with various businesses and organizations who had booths setup in the high school commons area.

During the program, Elementary Teacher Kevin Paulsen was the emcee and acknowledged the Jefferson Public Library, Ram Restaurant and all the businesses that attended the early morning portion of the event. Next, Tracy Deal with  Bringing Optimism and Opportunities to Students and Teachers (BOOST) spoke about their non-profit organization and how they support teachers both financially and giving them recognition. School Board President Bonnie Silbaugh then addressed all of the staff.

“I really do want to thank you what you guys do for our district and most importantly our kids, my own included. All of you serve as the eyes and ears, and you’re the closest ones to our families, and so you’re the ones that can relay it back to us. So I speak for all of us on the board when I say if there is something that we can try to help with or something that you want to share with us please never hesitate to reach out, come and find us and we’d be happy to listen and try to help where we can.”     

Each building principal went over “Points of Pride” and what they are looking forward to this school year with goals they have set. Finally, Superintendent Brett Abbotts talked about goals and plans district-wide as he left one final thought for the staff.

“Beyond parting knowledge, educators are the architects of dreams, cultivators of potential, and the guiding light that illuminate the path of success. Education is a continuous process and  pursuit that involves an unwavering commitment from everyone in all of our schools. This year I task you with embracing the change that is essential to the growth of our system, create the conditions of success for each student in your classroom and to ensure that our schools are highly reliable, and expect excellence with everything you do because together we can be unstoppable.”   

The first day of school in the Greene County School District is Wednesday, August 23rd.